Feeding mechanism for pickers or openers



Nov. 18, 1924. 1,515,672

F. L. FURBUSH FEEDING' MECHANISM FOR PICKERS OR OPENERS Filed Feb; 19. 1924 SWK@ Patented Nov. 18, 1924.

unire srrss SONS CORPORATION, OF GRANTTEVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, .A CO'RPORATION-OF MASSACHUSETTS.

FEEDING'MECHANISM ron` Prensas on oPENEBs.

Appncation ined February 19, 1924. serial No. 693,950.

To all whom it may concern.' y y Be it known that I, FRANK L. FURBUSH, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVestford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new andl useful Feeding Mechanismfor Pickers or Openers, vof which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to the feeding of fibrous, material to a picker or opener for preparing the fiber. As heretofore constructed the feed has usually consisted of a conveying apron and rolls which operated at a constant speed. Sometimes the picking cylinder draws a hank of fiber in without its being disintegrated and it results in an uneven produc-t and sometimes the clogging of the machinery.

The principal object of this invention is to provide means whereby if the cylinder does pick up a long hank or bunch of fiber at its forward end, it cannot feed it all in rapidly but it will be held back by the feeding mechanism itself, pulled out, and thus partly opened up.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which* F ig. 1 is a side view partly in longitudinal section of a picking machine with a preferred embodiment of this invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a view of the feeding mechanism for a similar machine showing a modification; and

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing another modifica-tion.

I have shown the invention as applied to a picker having a picker cylinder 10. Under ordinary circumstances the fibrous material is fed in by a single apron conveyor as 11 set up near enough to a set of rolls 12 to feed the material to them. If there is a bunch or hank on this apron as soon as the forward end is engaged by the teeth on the picking cylinder they will pull it right through Without its being opened up or separated in any way and it speeds up the rolls 12.

According to this invention the apron 11 is considerably shortened and between it and the rolls l2 are placed two aprons 13 and 14,' one above and the other below the line of material passingr to the rolls y12 and inposition to receive thesame from the feedtwo aprons 13 and 111. The principalfea tu-re of these aprons is that they are provided`r with teeth 16 andy that theser teeth extend rearwardly and not forwardly. They do not assist very greatly in the feeding of the material as that could be fed by smooth aprons. Their part is to hold it back. These aprons are driven by means that is common and therefore not shown and operated at a constant speed. Therefore if the picking cylinder pullsalong a hank or bunch of fiber at its end it cannot speed up the aprons 13 and l and, in fact, the teeth on these aprons hold the rear end of this bunch of liber sothat it will be pulled out in the space between these apro-ns and the cylinder.

This therefore assists the opening operation of the picker or opener and renders its product much more uniform so that the subsequent processes can take place more evenly.

'ln the form shown in Fig. 2 the parts above described are all shown except that the rollers 12 are omitted and the aprons 13 and 14 feed directly to the cylinder 10. In this case the teeth 16 are shown more in detail, being mounted on strips 18 located extends beyond the end of the lower apron 13 and in line with the latter is a positively driven roll 19 having backwardly project- 1,515,672 ENT oFFic FRANK L. runen-SH, or wnsrronn, MASSACHUSETTS, Assleivon 'ro o. G. SARGENTS' ing teeth on its surface for feedin the may terial directly to the picker cylin er.

In all these forms and in whatever form the invention may be embodied the feed of the material is improved because. long bunches of it are opened out in the course of feeding it to the picker or opener and cylinder.

Although I have illustrated and described only three forms of the invention I am aware of the fact that other modifications can be made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims.

Therefore I do not wish to be limited to all the details of construction herein shown and described, but what I do clai1nis l. The combination with an opening or picking means, of a pair of feed belts for feeding the fiber thereto, said feed belts opening out fibrous stock comprising a toothed cylinder, of a feed belt for receiving the stock thereon, a pair of feed belts spaced apart, one above and one below `the line-.of steek and; in position to receive stock from the firs. named freed belt between them, said pairy of belts having teeth on their surfaces projecting rearwardly at an angle, to ythe belts into the stock ,it is being fed and being located in positipn to deliver the stock to the cylinder.

i 3. The. combination Witha picker having a toothed cylinder, of a feedy belt for re'- ceiving the stock thereon, a pair of feed belts spaced apart, one above and one below the line of `stock and in position to receive stock from the first named feed belt betweenthem,.said pair of belts having transverse rows of teeth on their surfaces projecting rearwardly at an` angle to the belts into the stock, and rotary'meafn's between the pair of belts andthe cylinder for assisting in feeding kthe stock from the belts tot-he cylinder.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

FRANK L. FURBUSLH. 

